Alone pt 3: Lost
by Yusagi
Summary: The CONCLUSION to part 3! what will BT do! Is it too late for hope? Alone PT 3! As the team suffers from another loss, can Crim and Tsukasa finally make peace? And what of Morganna?
1. Shock

Disclaimer: As if I own .hack

AN: So, after much ado, here is part 3 of Alone!...Don't get mad at me...you all seemed to want this anyhow!!(You car-haters!!)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Lost_

**Chapter 1:_ Shock_**

He stared silently at the computer screen, unable to speak, unable to think.

_ Perhaps, if you would let the dead lay, you could save those yet living!!_ the voice of Silverknight rang hollowly in his mind, as he read and reread the e-mail...

They had found her, lying on the floor, unmoving...so pale...she had claw marks covering her body...the caretaker had thought the screams only nightmares...

Subaru was...gone....first Mimiru..and now....

His face fell into his hands limply, as if he could not even hold up the weight of his own head anymore...

" I caused this...my...blind...ignorance..." He whispered, tears slipping through his fingers, and onto the keyboard, " I couldn't even protect those I cared for most...I...I promised you I'd protect you....but...I....I..."

He threw back his head and howled in agony, " _NOOO!!!!!!!!!_"

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Tsukasa sat up straight, as a bucket of pure, liquid ice poured down his spine, only, ice water would have been warmer....more comforting...

He could hear the howling wind, gnashing it's teeth for the lost....

The emptiness that permiated the forest.....Tsukasa couldn't stop shivering, tears flowed down his cheek like pouring rain....she was gone....they were all gone....he was all alone...all alone....not even aura's soothing presence could lull the pounding ache where his heart had once been....Subaru...how? How could she be gone, too??!!

" No! Why did you leave me?!!!_ WHY?!!!!!!_ How can I 'be happy' and 'think nice thoughts' when I'm all alone??" He sobbed, voice cracking from his choking, " Who will hold me when it's cold?? Who will tell me it's okay, and not to cry??..._Who??!!! TELL ME!!!!!!!!!!!!_"

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/--/-/-/-/-/-/-/

_ Mother!_ The cat cried, _ Look how he suffers!! Let us comfort him!!_

"_ Not Maha, he must go through this...to understand..._" The being replied, "_ It is for his own good, trust me. Would I hurt Tsukasa?"_

_ No, Mistress..._ Maha sighed, hanging it's head.

But....Tsukasa....can't make it alone......

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

" I just don't understand, Bear." BT sighed, " How is this possible, any of it?"

" I really don't know....what's important now, is defeating this 'Morganna', and preventing any further deaths."

Bt sughed, and shook her head, " And how do we do that again?"

Bear frowned slightly, " I don't know."

" I was afraid you were going to say that..."

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Sora glared intensely at the digital sky, what was that he had felt earlier...what had given him those unshakable goosebumps? Everything _appeared_ normal there weren't even any loose strands of corrupted data floating about.

" What...was....it....what.....?"

He sighed softly, perhaps it could be that danger Helba had been speaking of.

But...how did this relate to Mimiru...and how did it involve Subaru?

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Bt shook her head, as she walked through the mostly empty streets of late-night Carmina Gadalica, this was all too much.. how could a game do this? It simply wasn't possible for a game to inflict physical wounds to a player, it was beyond one's wildest dreams!!!!

" Why do you believe it is so impossible, BT?" A familiar voice come from behind her.

BT turned her head slightly, and snorted, " When you grow up a little, Subaru, you'll understand."

" Perhaps it is not I, that must grow, but you who must forget." Subaru replied mockingly.

" What's that supposed to mean?"

" You tell me." She sneered, reaching for her, with a bruised and bloody hand.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

The man stared silently out over the Mac Anu river, what was going on in this world, and where had the Lady Subaru dissapeared to??

"_ C-Crimson Knight!!!!!!_" Came a panicked scream.

Reflexively, the 2nd leutenant of the Crimson Knights, Silver Knight, stood, and spun towards the voice, drawing his sword.

He saw a young, terrified looking female long-arm, running towards him, though there was no pursuit.

" Y-y-you have to.....th-th-they th-th-th...they're gone!!" she cried, " W-we went to a unique-looking field, a-and there was this blood, and a monster....a-a-a-a-and....they were...._GONE!!!!_ I-i tried to help! I tried to!! b-but I...I....couldn't!!"

" Calm down...we can page a sys op..and recover any experience...or items lost by your friends...if there was a glitch or unannounced event." He assured.

" You don't _UNDERSTAND_!!!!!! They're _gone!!!!!!_ I _tried_ to contact them, b-but they're _GONE!!!!!!!!_" She sobbed, " _Dead!!!!!_" " What are you going on about?!!"

" Th-the virus is here!!!!!!!!" She screamed.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Crim shook his head, why was he here again, in this world, the very place repulsed him...

But he had to figure out how...how had Mimiru died...? More importantly...Subaru....why? and how....

" I'll figure out...I promise.." He whispered, clenching his fists.

_ I promised....._

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AN: Yaay. Another update....does anyone read this series anymore?? T.T You think I can just go and kill Subaru and get away with it clean?? Ya right, it hurts Tsukasa and Crim alot, and there's nothing I can do about that. Sorry Subaru haters, I'm right with you.

Yusagi Sombermoon


	2. Recoil

Disclaimer: I do not own .hack, Bandai, cc2 corp, or anything else associated with /hack 

AN: sorry I took so long to update this....but now I have the whole saga planned out!! ( prolly gonna be 30 some chapters, cut up into books....) 

Oh yeah....I seem to remember BT and Crim met in real life, and I got the idea that she prolly knew his address

* * *

**Lost:_ Chapter 2: Recoil_**

" What?" Bear asked, taken aback. 

" Subaru....she...she..." BT said, voice shaking, " It wasn't a hallucination! I still have buises from it!" 

Bear shook his head, " I never said it was... it's just....hard to believe." 

" I know it is, but..." 

Bear cut her off by lifting his hand up in a silencing motion, " You say she looked battered and bruised, and she attacked you...without reason?" 

" And she inflicted damage on me...physically!" 

" This is definately linked with Morganna's 'plans' for Subaru....and I have a feeling this is linked with Mimiru, too." Bear deduced, " We need to have another meeting...." 

" With Helba?" 

" Maybe not her.....but....BT, do you still know when Crim lives?" 

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ 

Sora frowned as he read the flash mail, it simply read ' Meet at usual place, crucial information'. 

He _knew_ he shouldn't have went to Bear, no matter how hard it was to find the information on his own...all Bear did was call meetings every other day. 

True, it had been a relief that he'd finally gotten fresh information both on Mimiru, and on Subaru, whom he'd tried to investigate after she'd been acting weird, but all he could find on her was that she'd mysteriously disappeared, and no one could contact her anymore. 

There were, of course, the common rumors that always seemed to be floating about, The Lady was insane, Subaru had died, the leader of the Crimson Knights had given up the 'world' because of the pressure. 

Sora had ignored all of them, though, there were never any substance to such knowing whispers exchanged in the dark alleys of Carmina Gadelica. 

In the end, he gave up on trying to find Subaru, and went back to looking for Mimiru. 

And now he was here....where it all began...or perhaps. where it all ended...sanity...normality....reality. 

The blood had not faded from the rocks, nor the grisly scene from his memory. 

Something caught his eye as he shook his head, intrigued, he walked over to where it was lying in the rocks. 

It was a Nautica Staff. 

Curious, he picked it up and examined it, it was worn and chipped, but what stood out about it was that it was charred and twisted, exactly where one might hold it in battle.....to his memory that was not what it was supposed to look like... there were no monsters in this zone, and even if there were, items could not be _damaged_...not permanantly, not like this...

There was nothing, only silent darkness....the chill wind blew across him, and he shivered from more than just the sudden cold....the virus had infected him as well, began rewriting his data....perhaps even his DNA. 

Then he heard it, that low, menacing laugh, carried on the light breese. 

He had not heard it at first, it had been so quiet, but it was steadily growing louder. 

The world around him began shaking, and a low rumbling sound permiated the area. 

His breath caught in his throat, something was materializing infront of him!! 

His legs felt like putty, he couldn't move, he could hardly breathe...the mad laughter was pounding in his head so loudly he couldn't even think. 

Then he heard a familiar whisper , _RUN!!!!!_

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ 

He stared at his inbox for the twentieth time...Subaru had sent panicked letters...her 'caretaker' had tried to keep him informed, but he hadn't listened...at first he simply deleted any and all letters from Subaru....and then he'd left his phone off the hook, not bothering to check his e-mail of even his physical mail....wallowing in self-pity...hiding in 'the world'...barely even eating. 

Subaru had been pleading, begging for help, insisting the game, and Mimiru's ghost, wanted her dead....her caretaker claimed she'd gone mad. 

One day, Subaru's emails had ceased, and her caretaker had written to say that they had disconnected the network, because they felt the 'world' fostered her delousions, and they did not want her calling people over and over, running up both their phone bills, just to babble incoherently about sentient computers, ghosts, and all sorts of nonsense. 

Subaru had attacked her caretaker once, so that she could use her cell phone.... 

_To call me..._ he reminded himself, not for the first time. A tear rolled down his cheek, as the memory returned to him, the motivation he'd had to keep the phone off-hook...the strange, anonymous, caller, that had rang and rang for what seemed like hours, until it abruptly stopped. 

The caretaker's letter did indeed go on to say that when she had come to, she had found the cell phone's batteries drained, and Subaru had been missing. 

A later letter said that they had found her dragging herself desperately down the sidewalk, only a block away from his house....it then explained that they had taken away te wheelchair earlier, to keep her out of trouble, and safely tucked in bed... 

She had reached out for him, desperately hoping for him to rescue her...but he had coldly ignored her, even kicked her off of the proverbial ledge into the abyss...he had ignored everyone around him....everyone whom he could help...save for the one woman forever out of reach. 

He glanced nonchalantly at the stack of unopened envelopes piled on his desk, which he had retrieved from an overflowing mailbox, but not bothered to look at yet. 

Atop the pile of random junk mail and ads, was a large envelope bearing his work's insignia, Bold, red letters were printed across it, reading 'Urgent, Open Immediately'. He laughed, it was already obvious what the letter contained, so he had not bothered to look at it...he had been mysteriously absent from work for months, with not a word of explanation, and had become impossible to contact, of _course_ he was _fired_!! 

He laughed again, and couldn't seem to stop, the bitter irony was too much! Here he was, fired, his worst nightmare from only last year come true, and now he truly couldn't care _less_!! 

He had been dead for months already, anyway. 

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ 

Tsukasa swallowed softly, as he stared out off the main bridge of Mac Anu, the water was unnaturally blue, and cold....it was a stunning reflection of the golden city...the bustling trade stirred restlessly at it's edges, knocking the anchored boat about mindlessly, in the distance a golden ship serenely floated on the surface of the water, a silent beauty visible only to those not distracted by the constant tulmult of the river....but most insidious was the invisible pull of the current, hidden beneath the waters, deadly to any fool who would enter, and concealed to all but those who truly knew the water's deceptive beauty....yes...this water was the perfect picture of this cursed town, and this equally malicious world... 

His throat ached, and he considered giving himself up to the cunning waters.....Subaru was gone now, too...she would never sail beneath this bride again, never look up at him again and smile....he was alone.... 

A tear more real than any virtually generated image could ever be fell silently into the river below, and blended perfectly with it's sapphire waters. 

Aura's decaying was the fault of Subaru's death....and her decaying was his....all of the people hurt, the people close to him that were dying...they were all his fault... 

Subaru would want him to be strong, if only for the sake of everyone's lives...so would Mimiru.... 

" Tsukasa." 

Surprised, he turned towards the voice, and failed to hide his scowl when he saw Silver Knight walking up to him. 

" What do you want? Are you going to try to take me in again? I don't see Crim anywhere." 

The man frowned, and shook his head, " No, I wanted to know if you knew a girl named, Triiya." 

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ 

BT shook her head, as she took off the VR set, Crim had practically attacked her last time they met, ands now Bear expected her to go over to his _house_, which was completely off-limits, to see if he would help out the 'gang', no less!! 

She glanced at the picture of the seven of them, posing happily. 

Crim was standing inbetween Bear and Subaru, an impassive look on his face, BT, herself, stood to the right of Bear, a small smirk on her face, Bear, of course, had an easy-going smile on his face, but his eyes showed concern for the wavemaster in the far right corner of the picture, sitting in a near-fetal postion against a rock, looking absolutely miserable, Sora was standing inbetween Subaru and Mimiru, arms looped around there necks, holding them tightly, leaning into the camera with a huge, goofy, grin on his face, neither Mimiru nor Subaru looked pleased with there position, Subaru looking bewildered, and Mimiru with her mouth open in what was a angry yell, fist curled ready to deck Sora. 

The picture had been taken only weeks before this mess had started. 

BT sighed, everytime they logging in, they risked themselves...it was foolish to continue this...yet still she did. 

_Yes....why don't you quit?_ A voice whispered in her mind 

She froze. 

" No...that was just your imagination..." she chided herself, dismissing it. 

Laughter whispered in the back of her mind, as if in response. 

BT swallowed a lump in her throat, she thought she was going to be sick. 

_It's too laaate...._

* * *

AN: Tried to make this kind of an explanation chapter, so you guys wouldn't be so confused....really trying _not_ to turn this into some twisted version of a .hack horror story...but I _am_ shackled by Morganna's personality....and when you let her run rampid........ 

Well, gotta sign off for now, but thank you all for your wonderful reviews!! . 

BTW: Why is simple HTML not working anymore?? 

Also try 

Alone (the begining of the saga) 

Torment ( the prequel to Lost) 

Second Chance( What if 10 years later, Mimiru decides to play 'the world' again, and meets a familiar twin blade?) 

Yusagi Sombermoon(Queen of the shameless self promotion)


	3. Despair

Disclaimer: I so totally do NOT own .hack... 

AN: Well, took me a while, didn't it? Already working on book #4 on paper...

* * *

**_Lost_**

**Chapter 3:_ Despare_**

****

Laughter danced across the room, echoing from every corner.

It taunted him on, daring him to scream, to give into the madness that gnawed at him and at his surroundings, distorting reality, forcing him to recall what he had struggled diligently to suppress...her smile...a giggle...blood...blood everywhere.

Reality warped and he couldn't escape the memory...he couldn't breathe...the blood was choking...

A woman cackled madly, giggling about his impending doom.

There was no hope...he could swim no longer, he was sinking in the rivers of blood and madness, his very soul slipping from his grasp.

A shrill cry pierced the endless gloom, and one word resounded in his mind, though he could make no sense of it.

'Mimiru'

A face of beauty appeared before him, she smiled and kissed him softly.

He tried to speak, but she was torn away from him to quickly.

"No!"

_Goodbye..._

"_NO!_"

Claws dug into his skin, and pulled him deeper into the sea of hopelessness, farther from his beloved...to his death...he could feel it...if he reached the bottom he would die.

He could not die yet!

Frantically he fought to be free, screaming, but his effort was in vain, he was being pulled inevitably downward...down...down...down.

Crim awoke with a scream, jumping up to a semi-crouch.

For a moment, he cast about wildly, the strange dream imprinted on his mind, but soon it faded, and his adrenhalin began to fade as well.

He was close...close to this mystery, and someone didn't want him to make it all the way...but he would not fail...not this time, not ever again.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Tsukasa shivered as he looked over the plains of the field he had warped into, to think it all over...that Triiya had lost her comrades, too...probably forever...

This wasn't just about _him_ anymore...innocent people were being hurt because of him...because of the girl...because of everything...

He had considered throwing himself into the river of Mac Anu and perhaps, just maybe, ending it all...

"But you wouldn't like that, would you, Mimiru?" Tsukasa whispered, "No...I can't do that at all..."

A chill wind blew across his face, causing him to shiver again.

He bit his lip nervously, what was he supposed to do now?

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Slowly, deliberatly, he put the reciever down. BT had been sobbing, panic ruining her usual, logically cool, demeanor.

The virus had her, Morganna had chosen her as the next target.

_What is Morganna aiming at? Where is Subaru?_

He sighed, clearing his thoughts, BT had been coherant enough to give him Crim's phone number...perhaps there was still a chance to stop it...perhaps there was yet hope...perhaps...

As he picked up the reciever, he nodded softly.

_Hope is important...nesissary...hope is all we have_

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Sora flung the VR set against the wall with such force that it shattered, sending bits of glass flying everywher.

Exhausted, he fell out of the chair, gasping for breathe, staring wide-eyed at the monotor.

He winced as a the high pitched whine began to emit from the computer once more.

Mustering his strength, he lifted a shaky hand to the computer tower, and pushed the power button, the fell backwards, unexplainably drained.

He felt a strange sticky dampness on his shirt...weakly, he lifted his hand to feel his neck, then drew bacl...blood...one of the chips from the VR must have grazed him.

He didn't care about the growing pain, or how the room grew increasingly dark, his mind drifted back to the words that had rung in his mind.

_**"You will cease this!"**_ It had howled furiously, **_"You will pay for your crimes! I will kill you all!"_**

_Who was that?_

There was a knock on the door, "Sora? Are you alright?" His mother's voice came, "We heard a scream..."

_Was that...'Morganna'?_

"Sora?"

_Am I, then, going to die?_

He chuckled softly to himself.

_How amusing..._

"_Sora?_"

_Maybe I'll take her with me!_

It was strange, perhaps it was his lack of coherant thought, but he was certain he heard a mocking laugh.

He smiled, as his eyes slid shut, "Impossible."

As his consciousness faded, Sora awas almost certain he heard a scream.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

_I have to fight this...I have to fight!_ BT thought to herself, holding the counter so tightly that her knuckles were bone-white.

**"Give me your knowlege..."** The voice whispered, **"Give me your being...and I will free you...you will not end up like Subaru..."**

"Subaru?" BT gasped, forgetting her earlier determination to ignore the voice.

**"Yes..."** It laughed, **"She is gone...and soon...so will you be...just a whisper on the wind...a fading memory of an unpleasant past."**

"Stop...please..." BT begged, tears staining her cheeks, "What have I done to you!"

**"You live."**

Before BT could form a reply, a surge of pain wracked her entire body, drawing a scream.

"**You will not defy me! One way or another, your secrets will be mine!"**

"Is this...what you did to Subaru..." BT whispered, between chokes of agony.

Only the echo of maddening laughter served as a reply.

CH3 End

* * *

AN: Well...the is shaping up to be something...I say something because this is FAR from my original idea! Well...I've never done anything close to horror before, so I doubt I'd be very good at suspense, eh? This is really a Drama/angst/suspense...not horror.  
It's not my fault Morganna keeps acting up...

Yusagi Sombermoon


	4. Tragedy

Disclaimer: Don't own .hack

AN: Wow...I took a LONG time, didn't I? Well, that's because I didn't like what I did with this chapter(and the one suceeding it) so I stalled...but here it is now, about triple the length of a normal chapter!

* * *

_Alone part 3:Lost_

**Chapter 4:_ Tragedy_**

A woman was sobbing somewhere in the distance, he could see lights passing over him quickly, but he could make out no shapes.

_Your eyes are closed. S_omething whispered to him.

"Oh. Why can't I open them?" he asked, looking over at the voice.

The beautiful woman smiled at him, brown eyes sparkling. "You still need to rest...to be whole again."

"Why?"

"You will know soon..." She laughed, touching his shoulder. "You'll make it through this."

"I will? Why?" He asked, eyes wide with childlike innocence.

"I promise you no matter what happens, you'll make it through this." She smiled. "I'll walk you through it."

"Thank you."

She hugged him then, it was a warm embrace, and he knew everything was fine.

He could still hear a woman screaming, men talking, and weeping noises. He could make out strange words...'hopeless'...'appalling'...the woman was screamingabout something called 'death'.

"What is that?"

"Your family..." She whispered. "They are worried about you."

"Why?"

"I can't tell you."

"Miss...?"

"Yes?"

"Do I know you?"

She smiled, her auburn hair caressing her deeply tanned skin. "No...I don't think so..."

"Then..." He said, his brow furrowed, "I wanna go home."

"Then go."

"Miss?"

"Yes?"

"I hope I see you again."

"I hope so, too.."

The woman's image shimmered then, and was gone, replaced with foreign faces, peering intently down at him.

A man with a strange mask brightened suddenly, and said, "He's coming around! Life-signs stabilizing!"

Another man laughed, and spoke."You did it!"

"Welcome back, kid...you had us worried for a minute." The first man said, smiling.

"Where..is my mother?"

The man smiled, then looked over his shoulder, calling an unknown name.

A woman stepped up to him.

"You're not my mother..."

The woman smile, flickered oddly, then reached down for him.

"Don't touch me!"

Her hands shimmered as the touched him, constricting his breathing.

"No!" he coughed, flailing about, but the doctors held him down.

Darkness was consuming him, and the woman began to laugh maniacly.

"Vital signs fading!" Someone cried.

_"We're losing him!"_

He felt weaker...weaker...

_"DOCTOR!"_

-/-/-/-/-/-/

Crim sighed as the familiar sights of the elven fort Ouph greeted him. This was the only way to solve it, the only way to end it.

"This time, Mimiru, Subaru, I will find you...I will avenge you..."

Something caught his eyes suddenly, a wavemaster!

The boy stumbled slightly as he turned out of sight...oh yes...that was unmistakably him...Crim was having an unbelievably lucky day!

Determined, he follwed after the wavemaster, this would settle things...their final confrontation...

Perhaps then he could put Mimiru to rest.

It did not take long to find Tsukasa, he was staring blankly across the field, his back turned once again to Crim.

"Tsukasa!"

The boy jumped, and spun around, hiding behind his staff defensively.

"It's time to settle this!"

"B-But I...I.." The boy pleaded.

Quickly, he brought his spear to bear. "Last time I caught you unawares, I was afraid of your guardian..had I killed you then, It would do nothing for the memory of Mimiru!" he declared."I fear you no longer! Go ahead and summon your guardian!"

"I don't want to fight!"

"You _will fight!_" Crim snapped. "Or you will die! One way or another, we will fight for her, for Mimiru."

"Please..."

Crim gave Tsukasa no more time to think it over, launching himself at the timid wavemaster. The boy just barely moved his staff in the way fast enough to deflect the blow, but the angle caused him to lose his balance, and sent him sprawling to the floor.

Crim did not hesitate to continue his attack this time, and pierced the boy's shoulder with his spear, cutting clean through the helpless wavemaster, and pinning the boy to the ground. The boy screamed in agony, and weakly reached for his impaled shoulder with one shaky hand.

Crim could not take his eyes off of the blood spreading from the wound, staining the boy's clothes..._real _blood...like Mimiru..

His eyes widened in realization as he stared down at him,A_ boy...he is just a little boy...a helpless comatose boy...I attacked.._

Numbly, he jerked the spear out, staring at the growing stain, watching the boy curl up in a ball...he realized for the first time how pitiful and vulnerable Tsuakasa sounded, sobbing and whimpering in agony.

He blinked. Mimiru was crouching over him, holding him tight to her breast, sobbing...brown eyes looked up pleadingly at Crim.

_No...no! This can't be!_

He was backpedalling before he realized it, and when Tsukasa's sobs stilled to silence, something broke inside of him...

And he ran.

-/-/-/-/-/-/

Bear shook his head and sighed as he hung uphis phone.

There was no answer from BT...he had called to check up on her, but the phone only kept ringing...

Not for the first time, he wished he knew BT's home address.

"What's going on over there, girl?" He sighed.

He frowned slightly, there was only one person that he knew of who might know BT's address...Crim.

But that stubborn man wouldn't answer either!

"Why do I feel like I am being alienated?" He laughed to himself, taking the phone again, and dialing the number BT had given him.

There simply was no hope to it...he needed to get in contact with Crim, and if that meant ringing him all day, so be it.

He had a flat monthly fee for local calls anyway.

Surprisingly, on the fifth ring, a man picked up the other end, and sighed irritably. _"What?"_

"Is this Crim's residence?"

_"Who are you?"_ the voice sounded suspicious._ "How'd you get this number?"_

"BT gave it to me."

There was a pause, before,_ "I knew I recognized the voice...what do you want, Bear?"_

"I was wondering if you knew anything about the whereabouts of Subaru." Bear said smoothly. "I had heard you know her in the real world."

_"She's dead."_ The voice said bluntly. _"She was found clawed to shreds in her room...so I've heard."_

_What! Could this be related to the virus? Is it possible...death?_

"Who did it?"

_"...They don't know."_

"Crim..."Bear sighed, "I think I know who might have done it..."

_"Something to do with the virus, right?"_

"The name of he virus is Morganna."

_"How do you know?"_Crim asked,surprise easilytranslating across the phone.

"I, and the rest of us, had a meeting witha hacker named Helba." Bear explained. "It seems this virus is sentient...we don't know what it wants, but we know it can invade our minds and subaru was key in her plans."

_"Invade our minds?"_

"Yes...when we log out she dwells within our minds...somehow...often people could mistake it for insanity."

There was silence for a longmoment on the other end, before Crim muttered distantly, _"Subaru..."_

_"How do you know the symptoms?"_ Crim asked suddenly.

"BT...is...infected." Bear said gravely. "I can't get a hold of her, I was hoping that you-"

_"I'll go and check on her!"_

"Crim-"

The phone clicked off.

"Save her, Crim..."

-/-/-/-/

He slipped into unconsciousness quickly...the pain was numbed here...it was peaceful...white nothingness enveloped him, and he fell in an endless tumble. The thought occured to him once that it might not be good to fall, but he dismissed the thought immediately...what could hurt him here? This place was peace.

The whiteness slowly melted into a field of beautiful flowers, tiny butterflies danced about, fluttering to and fro through the flowers. He laughed and smiled happily as one spun around him, and perched on the tip of his nose.

_Why would anyone want to leave here?_

There was a beautiful, light-hearted laugh from behind him, and he spun around to see who it was. The butterfly danced away at his quick movements.

A beautiful woman stood before him, lovely tan skin, long auburn hair, beautiful red armor.

_Mimiru_ A voice whispered in his mind, but he was unsure what that word meant.

"Who are you?"

She smiled sympathetically, and said, "You must fight, Tsukasa..."

"Why? This place is beautiful..." He pouted. "I don't want to leave.'

"You must fight..." She whispered, fading into nothingness.

"Wait! Don't go!" He cried, stepping toward the woman. "I don't want to be alone!"

As he moved, the area around him transformed into Mac Anu...dozens of players were lying on the ground...apparently sleeping...for a moment the area was eerily peaceful, nevermind the unconscious bodies littered about. Then, the world shook, emitting a low rumble, somehow similar to a laugh, and the area darkened...

Tsukasa screamed as the area erupted in flame, and darkness enveloped him.

-/-/-/-/-/

BT shook her head, sobbing.

_If this virus infectsme further, I willnot be able to protect Bear's plans...doesn't he understand that!_

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

_Bear? _she thought immediately, irrationally, _No...it can't be..._

The knock came again, more insistant.

Curiousity overcame her, and she walked up to the door and opened it.

To her shock, Crim stood before her, or rather, his real-life counterpart did.

He smiled disarmingly, and spoke. "Are you alright? Thought I'd drop by since I was in the neighborhood. May I come in?"

BT immediately say through his weak excuse, Bear had obviously told him to check up on her.

_What can I do now? I can't let him see what I've done to my house, fighting the raving insanity that threatens to consume me..._

Quickly, she stepped outside, closing the door behind her.

"Actually, I was just about to take a walk." Now it was her turn to offer a weak excuse.

He seemed to understand the underlying message inher words, and politely motioned for her to lead.

She happily obliged.

"Bear called me."He said after a moment, "Said you gave him my number."

"It was important."

"Yes it...was..." He sighed.

She reppressed the urge to ask him what Bearsaid, for fear of succumbing to the virus if she learned something important, and there was a moment of awkward silence between them.

"I'm not sure if I want to join all of you in your...quest.."

"Oh?"

She had to sound disinterested...maybe he'd give up.

"It's just...Bear's tactics..."

"No! Stop!" She cried_. He'll compromise it all!_

"They're just too risky--" he continued, then cut off, her words registering finally. "What's wrong?"

"I...don't want to know..."

"But...from the way Bear talked, it sounded like you already knew..."

Instantly, pain flooded through her body...Morganna was not pleased knowing she had been fooled.

Crim immediately grabbed her shoulders, crying out when he saw her crumple in pain. "Are you alright!"

**_"TELL ME!" _**The voice hissed. **_" TELL ME, YOU INSOLENT WRETCH!"_**

_"NO!" _She cried, clutching her head.

"Yuriyo!" Crim yelled, shaking her. "What's wrong!"

"No! Kenyth! Get away from me!" She cried, knocking him away and backing up. "If you don't, I might--"

"BT...what..."

**_"TELL ME!"_** the voice screeched.

BT screamed in agony, as pain washed over her, and stumbled backward.

"BT..._LOOK OUT!"_ Crim screamed, leaping for her.

There was a crack, and then she was falling, she could see the water far below...the cliff...her house was over-looking the water...the railing must have been weak.

Something snagged her wrist, and she looked up in surprise.

Crim was hanging over the ledge, holding her wrist awkwardly, fighting not to let her slip in his sweaty hands.

"I'll pull you up, don't worry!"

"Crim..."

Pain exploded once more in her mind, the voice cackling madly. **_"You see? I intend to get what I want from you before I let you die! No matter what you do, I WILL have that information!"_**

BT shook her head violently to rid herself of the feeling of terror.

"Careful!" Crim scolded, "If you slip--"

_If I fall...Bear will be safe..._ She realized. _I...can't fight anymore...if I give in..so many will die..._

She realized what she had to do.

As Crim struggled with her weight, trying to get good leverage to pull her up, She gathered all of her strength and yanked her wrist from his slippery grip, quickly plummeting out of reach.

"_BT! NO!"_

"I'm sorry..." She smiled up at him as she fell. "Bear's right you know!"

"_What!" _He screamed, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"_I have to!_"

"_NOO!"_

It was odd...she didn't feel any fear...

"Good bye..."

"_YURIIIIYOOOOOO!"_

**END BOOK 3**

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AN: This was...wow...weird... I hope you guys don't freak too much...>.> ;;;

-Yusagi Sombermoon


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